The Watchmen
by Power Hungry Ostrich
Summary: A jinchuriki's life became more troublesome than ever. Not only with Akatsuki on his back, but also the village making his life harder than ever, Naruto feels like there's nothing he can do but comply to the council's every wish. That's until he gets a mysterious note from Gaara of the Sand.
1. Prologue

_Hello, this is Power Hungry Ostrich with a teaser for her first Naruto fanfiction. _

_This is only a small piece of what will be coming up really, really soon. Hope this little piece of work gives you the taste of what my writing feels like. The actual chapters will be longer than what I present to you today. I will be posting one chapter every week unless the circumstances will make me do otherwise. Chapter One shall be an exception, since the Prologue isn't really telling much. I hope it's enough to spike your curiosity, though!_

_My sincere apologies to Masashi Kishimoto for borrowing his characters and abusing them mercilessly for my own (and I hope the readers') pleasure. I promise to return them without much damage done. Also, I gain no gratification for this work. _

_That said, I can only hope you enjoy and stay with me to the end of this story. _

_Thank you!_

**_Power Hungry Ostrich_**

**_The Watchmen _**

**Prologue**

Naruto read the note one more time. It was short, precise and a bit mysterious. It told him everything while revealing absolutely nothing.

_Be at the Valley of the End at midnight three days from now. We have something to discuss.  
_

_ Gaara_

Perhaps for the first time in a long time, Naruto thought hard before rushing into things. Not that he didn't trust Gaara – hell, whether the sand's jinchuriki knew it or not, he was one of the very few people who Naruto trusted unconditionally.

But, was the note really from Gaara? It certainly has been sent from Sand, for he could easily recognize the message hawks by now. But was it really Gaara who wrote it? If so, why were they supposed to meet outside the village?

Akatsuki were after the tailed beasts – ero-sannin hammered this fact into his head day in and day out. He had heard of the disappearances of other jinchuriki – Tsunade baa-chan had no choice but to break the news to him. Stone, Grass and Mist had reported their jinchuriki missing. Star and Cloud gave up sending the search parties for theirs. There was a high possibility that Akatsuki had already extracted the bijuu from them.

That also meant the other Kages were at high alert. Baa-chan was forced to restrict Team Seven's missions to those within the village's boundaries. This, speaking shortly, sucked – it was a fact, that Sasuke never ceased to remind him of during the team's meetings. Walking dogs and picking up herbs wouldn't make any of them stronger.

What would Gaara possibly want, then? Weren't the elders in his village old pricks, not different from the ones in Leaf? Would they really allow their jinchuuriki to travel all the way here, when there was danger lurking around?

Naruto shook his head and looked at his framed picture of Team Seven. He didn't know how long it will be before he is not a part of this team anymore. Danzo Shimura supported the idea of removing him from the team and fighting tooth and nail for it to pass in the council.

Under given circumstances, he didn't think setting a foot outside the village was the brightest idea. Baa-chan had too much trouble with the council already and all because of him.

He sighed.

He couldn't help but feel like a nuisance lately.

Three days.

It was plenty of time to make up his mind.

With that thought, he took the note, shoved it into his mouth, chewed and swallowed.

Somehow, he felt that no one should ever know about the note or its contents.


	2. Chapter 1

_Hello and welcome to the first chapter!_

_Here I come to torment you with my mind's fantasies. Hope it's good enough for you to last 'till the very end of the story. Oh yes, I hope... I work really hard to give my best and I hope I don't dissapoint. But, that's for you to judge, isn't it?_

_And to my first reviewer (if you're still reading this): I won't deny, it just seemed like a very Naruto-ish thing to do. Couldn't help it but make him do it, no no..._

_Any criticism is welcomed. The chapter was too long? Didn't like the way I wrote a scene? Character development gone bad? Or maybe the opposite? Share your opinion!_

_Thank you! _

**_Power Hungry Ostrich_**

There are many words to describe the Fifth Hokage. Tsunade Senju could be called anything starting from 'alcoholic', 'gambler' and 'lazy' – traits that didn't really matter to those who really knew her.

But neither her friends nor enemies could really say that Tsunade was a coward. Even if she met a person who was brave or stupid enough to say such thing to her face, he or she hadn't lived long enough to tell the tale.

Thus, she didn't cower, when Shimura outwardly threatened her in front of the council members. She didn't cower when she got the same from some of the said council. She didn't cower when her place as a Hokage became debatable.

_'You got senile over the years, Tsunade_' Danzo's words echoed through her head. From the two of them, she thought she was the saner one. The man couldn't possibly be serious when he proposed imprisoning Naruto as a cure to Akatsuki's threat . For the gaki to be completely unable to defend himself in time of danger was the last thing that Tsunade wanted.

Unfortunately, it seemed that it didn't matter what she wanted. Not anymore. She couldn't really blame the elders for wanting quick and efficient solution. The village was still weakened after the fatal chuunin exam. Another threat to the village so soon after that fiasco… No wonder they were pushing her to make up her mind.

What she couldn't stand though, was the people's refusal to see past the beast that was sealed in Naruto's body. Some didn't consider the boy to be human. The measures they proposed were drastic, because they never took the boy's feelings into consideration. Not that they thought he was capable of feeling anything in the first place.

It won't be long before people like Shikaku and Inoichi are not enough to support her in front of the council. The number of her supporters will decrease in time – they will be either tired of fighting for something that seemed unavoidable from the start or threatened by Danzo's men the same way she was threatened today.

_'Gaki, what am I supposed to do about you?' _she thought sadly. She could use a few shots of saké, but for once she thought getting intoxicated could do more harm than good.

Her train of thoughts was disturbed when she felt a familiar chakra signature out the window.

"Come in, Hatake" she said "and learn to use the door like everybody else"

"Maa… What kind of ninja do you think I am?" Kakashi asked, poking his head inside.

"Insufferable" she responded.

"I don't even have a response to that" he said, jumping to the floor.

"Good. As much as I'd like to continue this little banter, it is not why I sent for you" she said.

"Why did you send for me then? My students will kill me if I will be any more late, you know?"

"Oh, cry me a river, Kakashi" Tsunade said in a serious voice. Kakashi's lateness to everything was legendary "And I think you know why you're here" she added softly.

"Naruto?" he asked receiving an affirmative nod from Tsunade.

"They want to lock him up" Tsunade said bluntly. Kakashi shifted.

"I wouldn't call it the wisest…"

"This is hardly about what's wisest, Kakashi" Tsunade said " We both know Danzo wants the Nine Tails at his own disposal" suddenly, her fist hit the desk, with such a force, that it shook. A pile of paperwork swayed dangerously to the side, but didn't crumble down. She reminded to thank Shizune for getting her a desk that was so resistant to her punches. She's lost two desks that way since she became Hokage.

"The nerve of that man!" she yelled "Threatening me in front of my people! If I had my way, he would be the one locked up in a filthy cage! Did you know he has half the council on his side? Can you believe that?"

Kakashi was silent for a moment before he spoke in a leveled voice:

"Tsunade-sama, why not let Jiraiya-sama take Naruto away as he had planned? Not only would that benefit Naruto himself. The village can also use a moment of peace. When he comes back and Akatsuki is still after him, we will be ready…"

"That was the plan, Kakashi, but I'm afraid it is no longer possible" she said "Jiraiya received disturbing news on Akatsuki. He's gone to investigate that. Since we know close to nothing about the organization itself, he deemed the task of gathering information more important"

'_More important than training the gaki_' she thought to herself '_More important than keeping him safe_'

Kakashi's face was unreadable. But then again, when wasn't it?

"Your days as a team are numbered, Kakashi" Tsunade finally said "Soon, there will be no team seven. I'm doing everything in my might to not let it happen, but I'm afraid it will eventually come to that. You, Sakura and Sasuke will be separated and ordered to join other units"

"And Naruto?" Kakashi asked although he could guess the answer.

Tsunade looked at him, barely withholding tears in her eyes. He wished he hadn't asked.

"I see" he said with a sigh. He walked up to the window and was ready to leave "Just so you know, there are people who will fight for him" he said softly. Kakashi won't abandon him. It was his duty as a teacher, and – more importantly – his duty as a friend. He won't make the same mistake twice. He couldn't afford that.

_It is true that, in shinobi world, those who break the rules are trash. Those who abandon their friends, though… They are worse than trash. _

A lesson learned from a friend that he had abandoned.

"Kakashi… There's one more thing" Tsunade's voice wavered.

* * *

Sakura had enough.

Her team was getting on her nerves lately.

She's had it with Kakashi's lateness, lack of attention from Sasuke, Naruto's obnoxious behavior and D-ranked missions. The last one seemed to unnerve even Kakashi.

But what she was sick of the most, were Naruto and Sasuke's never ending fights.

"Teme! Take it back, now!"

"Not in the world! It is your fault we're doing nothing but D-ranks! You're holding me and Sakura down! With you in the team, we have no chance for something better!"

Just like right now.

"You're so dead, Sasuke!"

"As if a dobe like you could do a thing!"

Just as they were about to jump to each other's throats, Sakura stood up and punched Naruto on the head.

"Naruto-baka!"

"What was that for, Sakura-chan?" Naruto whined while nursing his head.

"Why do you always have to argue with Sasuke? Seriously guys, I'm sick and tired of your fights. We're supposed to be a team, for kami's sake!"

'_She's first to talk about the teamwork, but it's only me who gets hit. I wish her eyes weren't only for Sasuke' _Naruto thought sadly. A day he will impress Sakura will be a day that the hell freezes over.

"Yo!" Kakashi called to them from a tree branch. He smiled at his genins from behind his mask. When he didn't hear any of them (mainly Naruto and Sakura) complain about him being late, he knew something had happened. When he took a closer look, he saw a very unhappy Naruto, a distressed Sakura and a moody Sasuke. Only the last one was a normal occurance.

'_Maybe I should stop coming so late. They look really mad_' he thought sending a bored look in response to Sasuke's cold and angry glare.

"Why are your smiles upside down?" he asked.

Sasuke grunted, Naruto's shoulders slumped and Sakura sighed.

"It's nothing, Kakashi-sensei" the team's kunoichi smiled uneasily at him "Just these two arguing again" she said and told him the reason all members of the team were ticked. Kakashi listened while nodding his head in acknowledgement. Another mission of dog walking or grass cutting and team seven will lose what little teamwork his charges managed to build over their days together. Sasuke, while for all the wrong reasons, instinctively knew that Naruto was the cause of their team not getting any tougher missions and blamed the other kid for the situation. While Naruto didn't really do anything besides being his Naruto-ish self, couldn't let Sasuke's remarks slide, thus responding with threats of his own. And then, there was Saukura, stuck somewhere in the middle, sick of them both but never really berating Sasuke because of her childish crush. The fact that other teams were progressing, getting better and moving on to more complex tasks, wasn't helping any. It just made his charges more and more irritated.

'_It is hardly fair for only my team to fall behind so much'_, he thought. Just as it's hardly any of his kids fault.

"Alright, alright..." he said, forcing himself to sound cheerful "No need to get all worked up. It's a temporary predicament. Hokage-sama just wants to make sure you're ready for a very special mission…"

"Bullshit" Sasuke muttered under his breath. Kakashi pretended not to hear.

"Kaka-sensei! When did exactly baa-chan say we go on that special mission?" Naruto yelled out.

"Soon" Kakashi said dryly "But until that time comes, you need more training"

They stood there, the looks in their eyes clearly stating that they didn't believe him. Seems he was running out of excuses.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" he barked at them "Sasuke, Sakura – you're sparing partners today. I'll train over there with Naruto" he said. Naruto gave him a weird look. Having Kakashi's undivided attention was like a dream come true. Also, it was an occurrence that has never happened before. He didn't think much of this though. You don't look the gift horse in the mouth, after all.

"So, Kaka-sensei! What kind of cool jutsu can you teach me today?!" the boy exclaimed excitedly. Kakashi shuddered. Sometimes he forgot how loud Naruto could be.

"Naruto, we need to talk" he said when he made sure that Sasuke and Sakura were far enough not to hear them. Naruto's smile faltered. Kakashi sounded serious and that didn't bid any good.

Sure enough, he wasn't too pleased when his jounin instructor told him everything he knew from Tsunade. Naruto wasn't the sharpest tool in the box, but he was more intelligent than people gave him credit for. Kakashi's news made him fully realize the seriousness of his situation. Not only that. No matter how much he tried to tell himself otherwise, he's never felt more like a burden than at this very moment. When Kakashi informed him of Tsunade's request, Naruto thought that things couldn't possibly get worse.

"WHAT?! No way, Kakashi-sensei! Baa-chan can't possibly be serious about this!" Naruto exclaimed. He was shaking with rage. This just wasn't happening…

"Naruto, listen" Kakashi said, placing a hand on the genin's shoulder to calm him down "I can't possibly imagine what you're going through now. Hokage-sama made a decision and I support her wholeheartedly. They deserve to know, Naruto" Kakashi said softly, referring to two other members of their team "People who are going to fight by your side, people who are going to fight _for_ you… Don't you think they deserve the credit of the doubt?" Kakashi asked. He hated himself for it, when he saw actual tears brimming in Naruto's eyes.

The bonds he's made… All his effort to gain friends… Why was everyone so eager to take it all away from him?

"What am I supposed to tell them?" he yelled at Kakashi "How do you think I should tell them? Do you know what you're doing, Kakashi? Do you know what you're asking me to do?" he said, a few tears making their way down his whiskered cheeks "How do you think they react when they'll know I am a demon, eh?"

"Naruto, calm down" Kakashi said. He expected a similar reaction and he had all the right words at the end of his tongue. At least he hoped they were right "You are not a demon, child" he said kneeling so that he was at Naruto's eye-level "Now, where's my loudmouthed student who always proves everyone wrong?" he asked in a light tone. He rubbed Naruto's arm in a calming way "You don't need to do that immediately. Think carefully about what you want to say and then come to me, okay?"

Naruto was visibly calmer now, but he refused to look at Kakashi. His eyes were fixed on two flashes – pink and blue – caught in a fighting trance a fair distance away.

"Let them know the truth, Naruto" Kakashi said softly "You may be surprised with the outcome"

"Like hell I will" Naruto whispered, shaking Kakashi's hands off his shoulders and walking away. Suddenly, he didn't feel like training. He should have known that having Kakashi to himself was too good to be true.

Kakashi watched him go with a feeling that this could have gone differently.

* * *

It was several hours later that Naruto found himself at Konoha's border. The sun was setting, its rays bathing everything in orange. He looked back to see if anyone was following him and, not seeing anyone, dashed into the woods. If he wanted to meet Gaara at the Valley of the End, it was the perfect time for him to leave.

He arrived to find Gaara already sitting at the stone head of Madara Uchicha. The sky was clear that night and the moonlight, accompanied by myriad of stars in the sky, was good enough to see in the dark.

"Uzumaki Naruto" Gaara said in a form of a greeting.

"Gaara. What is the meaning of this?" he asked, sitting down next to the elder boy. He noticed with surprise, that unlike the few times he saw Gaara, there was no killing intent radiating from the Sand's jinchuriki. It was good to know that the boy didn't hate the world as much as he used to the first time they had met.

"I fled from the Sand" was Gaara's reply. Naruto sat there for a moment, stunned.

"You… fled? What do you mean?" he asked with disbelief.

"What you heard" said Gaara coldly "Five minutes after I sent my message to you, I was out the gates"

"And you've come all this way to tell me that, because…"

"I want you to go with me" Gaara replied with a light tone.

"WHAT?!"

"You are like me" Gaara continued "You're hurting, the same way I am. Up until I met you, I lost all hope of finding someone who would understand my pain. I know you feel the same way"

Naruto didn't respond. He didn't need to look far for examples. His mind went back to just this afternoon and Kakashi's demand to tell his friends about the Kyuubi. His sensei himself admitted, that he had no idea what Naruto was feeling that moment. Not that people ever did.

"It doesn't have to be like that" Gaara whispered in the dark "I've had enough of others determining my fate, so I took it in my own hands"

"They'll be looking for you" Naruto said "You will become a missing nin. Always on the run. Is that what you want, Gaara? What about Akatsuki? What if they catch you?"

The red-head sighed, observing the stars in the clear night sky. It was one of the rare moments that he felt at peace.

"They won't catch me" he said simply "None of them. Neither the hunters from Sand nor Akatsuki" he specified.

"The other jinchuriki…"

"Are completely safe" said an unfamiliar voice from behind.


	3. Chapter 2

_Hello and welcome! Here I come with the next chapter. I realize I promised to post it earlier, but I was lost on the road of life and... _

_Yeah, I love Kakashi character dearly, but I hope that particular trait of his won't become mine. Anyways, enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think. _

_The observing JC: Thank you for such enthusiastic reply. Unfortunately, we won't move to Konoha 12 until the next chapter :( Be patient though. I want the story to go at nice pace without revealing much at once and keeping the reader's curiosity at high enough level to keep reading :)) Don't know if I'm up to that, but oh, well... And no, you're not the only one who thinks that about the beasts. _

_Big thanks to everyone who favorited, reviewed or/and is following the story. I really appreciate that. _

_Thank you!_

**_Power Hungry_ Ostrich**

_The red head sighed, observing the stars in the clear night sky. He seemed to be at peace._

_ "They won't catch me" he said simply "None of them. Neither the hunters from Sand nor Akatsuki" he specified._

_ "The other jinchuriki…"_

_ "Are completely safe" said an unfamiliar voice from behind. _

Before Naruto had a chance to throw a kunai at the intruder, Gaara's sand reached out and grasped his wrist. It didn't hurt much, but it was strong enough to prevent any movement.

"Just listen to them, Naruto" Gaara said "Please"

"Them?" Naruto asked, blinking. With his hands still in the sand's firm handcuffs, he turned to see two figures walking towards them.

"So, this is the jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, eh?" one of them, obviously a man, spoke. He sounded bored and the way he talked reminded Naruto of Sasuke. He was tall and willowy, his short dark hair were combed to the left, covering the side of his face. Naruto easily imagined Sasuke to look like that in the future. If the teme gave up that duck-butt hairstyle, that is. Next to him was a woman. She was a few inches shorter than her partner and her blond hair was tied in a loose bun. Both were wearing traveling cloaks.

"My name is Yugito and this ray of sunshine is my partner, Utakata" the woman spoke. Her tone of voice was business-like, but not unfriendly or unpleasant. Despite the formality, it was melodic and soft.

"Partner?" Naruto asked dumbly.

"As for missions" she clarified.

"As if I'd like to have something to do with you" Utakata guy said lowly.

"You have nothing to worry about. You're not exactly prince charming, pumpkin" Yugito said with a laugh.

"I'd like to remind you that we need to depart before dawn. We'll have Konoha on our backs as soon as they realize Naruto is gone. I'd rather be as far as possible from here" Gaara said, releasing the sand from Naruto's wrists. He could tell by now that Naruto wouldn't blindly rush to attack them. Not that Gaara cared. They couldn't waste time for needless fights though.

"Matabi says he doesn't sense anyone approaching, but Gaara is right" Yugito said "I'd rather have this whole ordeal done and over with"

"Matabi?" Naruto asked "You're…"

"Jinchuriki, just like you" she spoke "I hold the Two-tails at bay, while Utakata has the Six-tails, Saiken"

"Wait… They have names?" Naruto asked, bewildered.

"He's not too bright, is he?" Utakata asked Gaara.

"He has his moments" the boy replied with a shrug.

"Hey! I'm still here, you know?" Naruto yelled, not realizing that Gaara actually defended him. Yugito cleared her throat to get Naruto's attention back.

"As you may already know, an organization called Akatsuki is all over shinobi nations looking for jinchuriki" when Naruto nodded his head, she continued "Making long story short, they never succeeded in catching any of them. And, hopefully, they never will"

"We ran into them several times during our search for Ichibi. Those bastards…" Utakata cut in "Gave us more trouble than they were worth"

"Utakata hates to lose and that particular pair we've encountered… Let's say I had to endure his mood swings for a week before his fragile ego healed" she ignored the glare she received in return and said "Anyways, Akatsuki is not the reason jinchuriki started to disappear"

"Then what is the reason?" Naruto asked.

"Simple, they've had enough. The other jinchuriki" Utakata replied for her "I know I have. I've ditched that godforsaken village years ago. Shouldn't have taken that long for others to do that too"

"Unlike to some, they thought loyalty was more important" Yugito scolded him. Utakata frowned.

"Fu seems the only one to have some brains when it comes that..." he muttered. Yugito shot him an annoyed look and continued:

"As much as it saddens me to say, Uta is right. When Akatsuki threat arose, some villages were ready to negotiate. They were willing to hand their jinchuriki over just so that they were left in peace. Mist and Cloud were ready to pull it off actually and even advised other villages to do the same. That's why Uta is so sore about it. Mist used to be his home"

"This is why we decided to unite. About three months ago I got an offer from a person that called herself the Mistress" Yugito said "She searched for jinchuriki, much like Akatsuki do now. Her purpose is different though. She offers us a place to stay and a special kind of training. One that only a jinchuriki can go through"

Training. That one word caught Naruto's attention. It wasn't that he wasn't receiving any training in the village. Except that he wasn't really. The only ones ever willing to teach him anything were Iruka and Kakashi. Iruka couldn't help him anymore though and Kakashi… Well, what did Kakashi know anyways? When their teacher wasn't interested in his perverted book, the only one he actually trained was Sasuke, completely abandoning his duty towards Sakura and Naruto. Not that Sakura noticed, since she put all her energy into getting Sasuke's attention. Sakura may be book smart but, as much as it pained Naruto to admit it, he's never seen anyone else who took their training as lightly as her. Even Sasuke bastard, so called genius, knew how important it was to improve.

"I see you're interested. We invented a special training program that allows us to gain control over our demons" Yugito said "You can learn more about it once we arrive at our headquarters"

"Controling the beast…" Naruto whispered "That really can be done?"

"Yes" Yugito answered "The demons hold really large amounts of chakra. It would be a pity to let it waste away like that. Once you go through a very demanding training though, you can have an easy access to that power without the demon taking full control of your conscious. I see you know what I'm talking about" Yugito said, seeing the sudden flash of understanding cross Naruto's face.

"Y-Yeah…Now that you mention it. I felt something take over my body during chuunin exam while I was fighting another contestant" he admitted. He remembered how he barely kept the mass of energy at bay when Neji pissed him off with that whole talk about fate.

There were, of course, other times, like meeting Orochimaru earlier in the exam or the mission to Wave country. All of those situations had one thing in common: Naruto had been very peeved at the time.

"I see" Yugito said "That shouldn't be a problem once you gain full control of your demon. The question is, are you willing to abandon your village to come and train with us?"

Naruto bit his lip and shot Gaara an uncertain look.

"It's not that you don't have a choice, but you don't have a choice" Uta said "Not only you have already set your foot outside the village gates without informing anyone, which basically makes you a traitor, but you're talking to two strangers that could possibly have ill intentions towards the said village. Also, your friend from Sand helped out to invade the Leaf not so long ago. If anyone is watching us this very moment, you're as good as a missing nin" the man said offhandedly.

"Uta…" Yugito sighed, shaking her head, then she assured "No one is spying on us at the moment, of course and the choice is naturally yours. I would advise coming with us, though. Let's face it, the village can't give you what we can. You won't find the kind of understanding you need anywhere else and no one else will teach you how to control the demon. You will need that ability in order to survive the upcoming years. I will not kid you. The war is raging upon shinobi nations - the greatest one the countries had ever have to face. And we are going to be in the middle of it" Yugito said, turning very serious "Most villages don't give a damn to their jinchuriki training. A foolish move, if you asked me, controling the amount of power we possess could have been strong asset in case of war..."

"They don't want us to control them, because they fear we can use the beasts against them" Uta said gloomily "Efficiently using something that powerful? No way, better have it lock up in some poor guy's body and leave it to its own devices. And the guy? Screw him! With that thing inside him, he's no longer human…"

"Uta…"

"… But you're still expected to protect those people, aren't you? They'd rather see you dead, but when there's trouble why not send the monster to do the job…"

"Uta! Enough!" Yugito yelled "You're rambling again" she murmured. Utakata fell silent, embarrassed with his outburst.

"Sorry for that" Yugito said. She looked like she was barely keeping her own emotions from surfacing, probably remembering her own unpleasant memories with the village "You know how bitter a person can get after all those years of…" she trailed off, but she didn't need to finish that sentence for either Naruto or Gaara to understand. They had their own reserves of pent up anger to deal with – such great amount of it actually, that it was hard to imagine a single person storing so much emotion up.

"Anyways, we have little time left" Yugito said "Naruto, it's up to you if you're coming or not. Whatever the decision though, make it quick"

Naruto looked at Gaara, then at Yugito and Utakata and back at Gaara. Seeing this, Gaara shook his head "I can't help you here, Naruto" he said "It's your call"

Naruto greeted his teeth at that and paced back and forth. It was perhaps the hardest decision he's ever had to make.

_Those who break the rules are trash. Those who abandon their friends, though… They are worse than trash. _

If he left he will have to leave his friends behind. He'd have to leave team seven behind.

He didn't know what to do, he was so torn. He finally found some people that made him feel like he belonged and he will have to leave them. He could not delude himself. No matter how much he loved Iruka, Sakura, Kakashi, Sasuke and baa-chan, he knew that they probably didn't feel that strongly about him. Although he knew he was being a bit unfair about that, because Tsunade and Kakashi were doing everything in their might to protect him from Danzo, he couldn't help but feel that way.

But how long now? How long before Tsunade won't be able to protect him anymore? How long before Kakashi decided team seven was better off without Naruto constantly slowing the others down? Not too long, Naruto knew. Plus, it wasn't fair for others to fight his own battles

It was also true that Naruto didn't feel very wanted in the village. Lately more than ever. What little friendship he received in this short time spent with his team couldn't make up for all those years of abandonment. Where were those people then? Where were they when he needed them as a child? Was any of them there to defend him from bullies or offer comfort when he had cried himself to sleep? Naruto didn't have an answer for that. Or rather, he did have a very good answer, but he rarely dared to let himself think about that possibility. A possibility that the same people he held dear now used to be the same way other citizens were. That they too hated or at least used to hate him.

What hurt most was that, no matter what he did – or what they did – Naruto couldn't bring himself to hate those people back.

One was clear, though. In his current state, he couldn't help anyone. Not Tsunade, not the team, not himself. He wouldn't be able to take on Danzo, not to mention Akatsuki if they decided to come for him again. He needed to get stronger. And in order to do that, he needed something that the village could not give him.

He was willing to become less than trash if it meant safety for his precious people.

With that in mind, he slowly untied his headband.

* * *

When Iruka took his students out to spar, he didn't expect to see a frantic Kakashi interrupt him in the middle of the exercise. He didn't also expect to learn that his classes have just been canceled and that the jounin was kidnapping him for the rest of the afternoon.

As soon as some other teacher appeared to take over for him, Iruka had no choice but to follow Kakashi outside the academy's training grounds.

"What's the matter, Kakashi?" he asked, when the other man didn't speak "You look as if someone set your collection of Icha Icha on fire" he said, noting Kakashi's brooding mood and slumped sholders "Is Naruto giving you trouble again?" he asked, but seeing the serious expression on Kakashi's face, he knew it was something more than Naruto carrying out one of his pranks.

"Iruka, you know Naruto best, don't you?" Kakashi started. At Iruka's nod, he continued "Tell me, if there was a change in his behavior, you would have noticed, wouldn't you?"

"Yes, probably. But nothing in his behavior seemed out of place. Why? You don't think that Kyuubi…"

"No, no…" Kakashi calmed him down "It's not about the Kyuubi. Or at least not in the way you think"

"Not in the way I think… Kakashi, where is this going, huh?" he asked.

They passed a grocery store and headed towards the district that Iruka knew too well. They were visiting Naruto's apartment "Is something wrong with Naruto, Kakashi? Is he hurt?" Iruka's motherly instincts took over and he quickened his pace, only to be stopped by Kakashi.

"No, he's not hurt" Kakashi replied, obviously reluctant to tell him something.

"Kakashi, you sound nothing like yourself. If it's something involving Naruto, then tell me this instant what's going on!" Iruka's patience was running out and kami knew, the guy possessed infinite reserves of patience. When it came to Naruto being in potential danger though, these reserves could easily evaporate as if they hadn't been there in the first place.

"Would you believe me if I said that Naruto left the village?" Kakashi asked. Iruka's stunned expression was his only answer.

"Naruto would never leave the village! That's impossible! Just like Chouji going on a diet or Sasuke cracking jokes!" Iruka exclaimed, defending his little surrogate brother.

"Then I have to tell Chouza to make his son go on a diet. And I've already heard a good one from Sasuke today. He said that Naruto wasn't home this morning. Guess what, after I had my students, Gai's students, Kurenai's team and even some ANBU search the village through and through, I suddenly didn't feel like laughing" Kakashi said.

"Do you think Akatsuki took him?" Iruka asked with worry and fear.

"It is a possibility, though I have reasons to doubt it. We've encountered Uchicha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame not too long ago. If Akatsuki wanted him, they would have taken him then" Kakashi said, remembering how the whole ordeal left him in a coma.

"Then go find him!" Iruka exclaimed "If he left willingly, he couldn't have gone too far!" "_What have you done now, Naruto?_" he asked himself.

"What do you think I've been doing up until now?"Kakshi barked at him "I'm a part of the searching squad and I need you in it" he explained in a calmer voice.

"Me?"

"You know Naruto best, thus you know where he might be headed. Also, you may be the only one to know what to say and do once we find him" Kakashi said. Then, looking at a miserable chuunin, he added "Because we will find him, Iruka"

"There's something you should know, Kakashi" Iruka muttered as they entered Naruto's small apartment. He looked around the clean room, noting that the bed was made and the picture of team seven was sitting on a dresser.

"Naruto may not look like it" Iruka started opening the wardrobe to find that nothing was missing. Kakashi checked the floor for any loose boards and walls for potential hiding places "but he has serious trust issues" at that, Kakashi stopped what he was doing and looked at him curiously.

"Trust issues?" Kakashi never considered Naruto to have that kind of problem. His student was cheerful, attention-seeking and sometimes could be very naïve. Traits he would never associate with someone who found it hard to trust others.

"I know how it sounds" Iruka admitted, correctly interpreting Kakashi's tone of voice "He's way too loud and happy for that, isn't he? But after spending some time with him you begin to realize that he's usually screaming out things that don't really matter and those that do matter are hidden behind that smile of his"

Kakashi was baffled. He did not realize it. Like most people, he learned to pay no heed to Naruto's ramblings, passing them off as something he needed to wait out. He couldn't also help but notice how fond and yet sad Iruka's voice was when he spoke about his most precious student.

"He has such a great burden on his shoulders" Iruka continued, while moving on to the drawers "Yet he's never talked about it to anyone. I know that he didn't know about the Kyuubi up until a year ago" he said, pulling out a small casket and examining its contents "but still. How much hurt and anger can one store up until it all blows up?" Iruka smiled fondly at some items within the casket. Kakashi couldn't see what it was, but Iruka shamelessly shoved the small metal box into an inner pocket in his chuunin vest. Kakashi didn't comment. Closing the drawers, Iruka turned to face Kakashi "People hated him, Kakashi. They still hate him. I used to hate him" he admitted with guilt "When you're left with no one to turn to, you don't run confiding in the first person that offers comfort. Plus, Naruto probably feels like he has to be alone in all of this. He hasn't learned yet that people can be there for you if you let them in" with Iruka's every word Kakashi felt more and more guilty. It was very possible that, if Naruto willingly left the village, Kakashi might have been the one responsible. Well, he and lady Tsunade, but he would never admit that to the woman's face.

"I have no idea where he might have gone off to" Iruka stated, throwing his arms helplessly into the air "I fear for him, Kakashi. He's not skilled enough to survive out there on his own. What if he runs into Itachi again?" Iruka said, sighing.

"I know" Kakashi said, giving the small room one last look "I hoped you could find something that would indicate where he'd gone" Kakashi sighed "Teams eight, ten and Gai's kids went east, west and south from the village. Be at the gates in ten minutes. We'll head north"

Iruka nodded and left the apartment. Kakashi sighed and formed a few hand seals.

"Kuchiyose!"

"Yo, Kakashi!" Pakkun greeted him, raising his paw.

"I need you find Naruto" Kakashi said curtly "We have reasons to believe he defected the village"

"Pity. I liked the kid" Pakkun stated and without further ado, he sniffed around the apartment, mainly the bedheets and jumpsuits, where the scent should be the strongest "I think I got something" he said after a few minutes. Kakashi nodded.

"Run ahead. Iruka and I will join you in a while" he told the dog. When the pug bolted out the window as if the devil himself chased him, Kakashi allowed himself to shoot a nostalgic look at the picture of team seven.

"Did_ we mean that little to you?" _he asked himself, taking the picture into his hands. It slipped out of his grasp and fell to the floor. The glass in the frame broke in a few pieces. He picked the frame up, took the picture out, folded it and hid in his pocket. He cleaned up the mess he made, threw out the frame and left the apartment.

_"Wherever you've gone to, we'll find you" _he thought with determination _"We'll teach you that you don't have to be alone"_


	4. Chapter 4

_Hello, this is Power Hungry Ostrich with sincere apologies for not having the next chapter :C_ Sorry, guys. The general outline of the story is all written and I know exactly where I want to go with the plot. It's just that I haven't had the time to write this week. The next chapter needs a bit more polishing, but sadly I don't know when I'll be posting it. Call it fate, call it whatever you want, but hell... I don't promise anything, but I'll try to get by the next week.

Thanks to everyone who reads, follows, favorites and reviews. Stay there and don't give up this story, because we have a long ride to go!

Thank you!

_**Power Hungry Ostrich**_


	5. Chapter 5

_Hello, this **Power Hungry Ostrich** with a new chapter (at last). You have no idea how many times this was re-written, reconsidered and in how many ways this chapter could go. But something like this came out in the end. Hope it won't be a dissapointment. _

_Big thanks to all my reviewers, followers and generally people who support this story. It really means a lot, thank you. It preserves my opinion that I can write... something. _

_**Shizuku Tsukishima749**: **1**. Thank you, glad you like it,** 2.** Not being a native speaker is not a freaking excuse, since I chose to write that abomination in English, but hell... I know I kind of suck on dialogues. You're welcome to help me out if you're interested and have the time **3**.again, thank you for such enthusiasm and** 4**. I'm really happy you'll continue with this story (and yes, I know I'm kind of rule breaker ;D Won't happen again, I promise!)_

_Thank you and enjoy (I hope)!_

**_Power Hungry Ostrich_**

„Ino! Left!" Shikamaru yelled as another kunai shot at his team-mate. The girl jumped to the side, nearly crashing into a tree, but save for a few scratches, she was alright "_That was close_" Shikamaru thought _"What the hell are you doing, Naruto?"_

"Shikamaru! I can use my technique on him, but someone needs to catch me!" Ino cried out. Skamaru could perform his shadow technique, but for that he needed Naruto to stay still if only for a minute. Their fellow shinobi was too fast though and Shikamaru stopped wasting his chakra once it became clear Naruto won't go down that easily.

"Choji, keep him busy!" Shikamaru barked at his friend and ran up to Ino "When you perform your technique, I'm going to give you ten seconds to get out, are you up to it?" he told her. She nodded and, focusing her attention on Naruto, who was trying to avoid Choji and his enlarged fists, she prepared to cast the jutsu.

"_This is more troublesome than it should be_ "

Chouji slammed his fist against a tree, missing Naruto by an inch. Shikamaru observed their fight, waiting for an opportunity. Finally, Choiji managed to get Naruto in the open.

"Ino, now!"

Ino's body slumped to the ground. Shikamaru caught her and gently laid her down on the ground. Then, he looked expectantly at Chouji and Naruto, who both stopped moving _"Did it work?"_

"Crap! I'm in Choji's body!" A frustrated cry rang out. Shikamaru blinked in surprise, but didn't waste time and completed the seals needed for his shadow clutch. Naruto didn't give it to him, though and was on the move again, causing Shikamaru to catch his two teammates with his shadow.

"Sorry, Shikamaru!" The orange shinobi exclaimed "I can't get caught just yet!"

Shikamaru frowned and released his technique. Once it was out of use, Ino stirred, her spirit having returned from her teammate's body. She was panting heavily as if she had completed a marathon, while Naruto – being the one constantly on the move – didn't even sweat.

_"Since when is he that good?" _Shikamaru mused, quickly analyzing everything that's just happened and not coming up with an answer as to when and how did he manage to get Choji in the way of Ino's jutsu. Shikamaru would have never guessed could be that fasts, let alone come up with a decent strategy. For a moment he had them all trapped without using any jutsu of his own. He had them constantly draining their own chakra resources, while all he was doing was avoiding their attacks and occasionally throwing a kunai or two. Shikamaru had to admit it was pretty smart for someone considered a dead – last.

"Naruto, why are you doing this?!" he yelled out, hoping to talk the other shinobi out if he couldn't catch him. He concentrated on imperceptibly getting his shadow towards Naruto. If he could get close enough, he could use his clan jutsu once again.

Naruto chuckled.

"I'm tired, Shikamaru" he said softly "So tired you can't even imagine"

"Why are you tired, Naruto?" _Almost there… Just a moment…_

Naruto smiled at him, his blue eyes filled with long withheld pain and sadness. Sadness that Shikamaru knew from the lone swing on the playground that Naruto always sat on alone.

"That is not for me to tell" he replied "I'm sure you'll know soon enough, though. Then maybe you can understand…"

Shikamaru studied his friend's form in thought. He knew Naruto was lonely, but that was not an excuse to defect the village. There was something more to it, something that Naruto – the ever noisy loudmouth – was reluctant to share.

"I just… I just don't want you to hate me"

Ino gasped in surpsise. Choji looked at Naruto as if he saw him for the first time. Shikamaru frowned.

"Why would we hate you, Naruto? We're friends. We would have helped you with anything if you just asked. I thought you knew that" he said, binding Naruto's ankles with his shadow.

"Now, before we drag your sorry ass back to the village… Care to explain what's your problem?" Shikamaru asked. The two boys stood there facing each other until the prolonging silence was interrupted by Asuma.

"Good job, Shikamaru, Choji, Ino" their teacher said, tying Naruto up in a wire so that he couldn't escape when Shikamaru released his jutsu. Then, he gave the orange shinobi a disapproving look "You put up quite a fight, Uzumaki. If that's performance of a dead – last, then I don't want to know how the rest of Kakashi's team is faring. You gave them quite a scare, you know?" Asuma said, scooping the child up and laying him over his shoulder "Kakashi is fuming. I have no idea what he decides to do with you, but I sure hope he'll punish you enough to make you think twice before pulling something like that off again"

"Sucks to be you, Naruto" Ino said light-heartedly. Now that everything was over, they all preferred to treat the whole case as a joke and loosen the awkward atmosphere that hung upon them. As they were walking back to the village though, Naruto remained strangely quiet and that was a clue for Shikamaru that something was not quite right here.

The same thought ran through Kakashi's head as he, along with Iruka, Sakura and Sasuke were dragging their teammate back to the village. Naruto was tied and carried on Iruka's back. The chuunin was giving Naruto a lecture (not first and definitely not last on their way back). Through Sakura's own scolding and Sasuke's insults, the smallest gennin in their team remained silent and let himself be carried back just like that. Kakashi didn't know what to make of that.

The village's gates came into view and Kakashi felt he could finally relax. Naruto was here with them again. He could start to make everything better with the boy, just as it should have been. He could make up for all the attention he passed to Sasuke and all the ignorance he treated his two other students with. He could repair his bond with Naruto and be whatever the boy needed him to be. And maybe, just maybe he could act like a proper teacher to all of them.

When the ninja at the gates saw them approaching, Kakashi got the reaction he never expected.

"Another one?!" Izumo yelled, pointing at the orange bundle that was Naruto.

"That's not freaking possible!" Kotetsu cried out.

"What do you mean, guys?" Iruka asked, watching as Izumo walked up to Naruto and poked him gently in the arm as if not believing the boy was real. Kotetsu sighed.

"The first time, I was totally okay with it. Second time, it was 'Okay, so you clearly haven't been getting enough sleep lately' and I was ready to accept that I was hallucinating, because there's no other explanation. Now, however… I have no lie to feed to myself and it's your damn fault, Kakashi!"

"You make no sense, Kotetsu" Kakashi said looking as indifferent as ever.

"Better go up to Hokage Tower, Kakashi-san" Izumo said, leading a traumatized Izumo back to their post.

Once in Hokage office, the group discovered that Naruto retrieval mission was indeed successful. Every team sent out for the chase came back victorious, thus there were now four Naruto standing in front of the Hokage with four confused squads behind them.

"Kage bunshin. Of course" Kakashi murmured. Ever since he had learned it, the technique was Naruto's trademark jutsu. Kakashi should have seen something like that coming and yet… yet he didn't credit Naruto with wits that would allow him to use the jutsu in such a way.

"What's the meaning of this, Kakashi-sensei?" Kiba yelled out, infuriated with the situation at hand. It was Iruka, who bothered to reply though.

"On his graduation day, Naruto stole a scroll from the Hokage Tower. He was tricked by one of the fellow teachers at the academy that it was a part of the make up test. Thinking this was his second chance at graduating the academy, Naruto sneaked the scroll out and learned a forbidden from it. It's called Kage Bunshin no jutsu"

"The difference from normal bunshin technique is that it allows you to create solid clones, each with the same amount of chakra flowing through them. There's no telling between a clone and the original caster" Kakashi filled in. None member of team seven was surprised by this. Naruto was overusing the jutsu, so it really wasn't that amusing neither for Sasuke nor Sakura.

"So, which one is real?" TenTen asked, scratching her head.

"None" Shikamaru replied "Is that right, Naruto?"

Naruto's clone grinned at him.

"Always the smart one, ne Shikamaru?"

"You're so troublesome, Naruto" Shikamaru said, irritated with the fact that he'd fallen for a trap that Naruto had set up. Now everything made sense if just a little "Now I understand why you were only avoiding getting hit during the fight"

"Where's the real Naruto?" Tsunade asked the clone.

"He's safe" the clone replied with a shrug "You're not actually expecting me to tell where exactly he's gone to, are you?"he asked when she still looked at him as if she expected a better answer.

"Why, Naruto?" Kakashi asked. Though he already hinted the answer, he felt the need for his student to yell it out to him. Maybe he needed to hear what a failure as a teacher he was. Maybe he needed others to hear it too. Perhaps he was a masochist.

"Oh, I think you know, Kakashi – sensei" the clone said, his eyes darkened, face sullen "I've been nothing but a burden to this team, to this whole village. We both know it"

"Baka! Running away will not solve all your problems!" Sakura yelled, hitting Naruto in the head. The clone dispersed with a puff of smoke. Tears streamed down the girl's face as she looked at the three remaining clones. One of them walked up and embraced Sakura in a hug.

"Don't cry, Sakura – chan. Naruto wants you to be strong, ne?"

"Is that… Is that really how you think, Naruto?" Iruka asked, his voice faltering.

"Dobe! You ditched your village just because you suck as a ninja?" Sasuke asked with amusement and, for once, earning a disapproving look from Kakashi. Naruto, though didn't seem to care and played along, as if it was a game only those two knew.

"It's something greater, teme. It's always been about something greater" Naruto said with a chuckle "_Something very big. With fur and claws". _

"I'm sorry I cost you all the trouble, granny" Naruto spoke "Now that I'm gone, you can finally focus on what is really important for this village. I hope the council gives you a break from now on"

"What are you talking about, Naruto? What…!" Lee exclaimed, but he was promptly silenced by Neji.

"Let him speak" he said, his expression hardened. He's never seen Naruto so serious and this was something he didn't know how to deal with. None of them did, apparently. Even Kakashi, who was supposed to know his kids better than any of them, didn't know what to do or say.

Not that there was anything left to say. The boy was by now far away from the village, possibly out of the Fire Country and it was too late to once again give chase after him. The three blonds before him were only doppelgangers, which will soon disperse "_I was late again, ne?"_ he asked himself.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi – sensei. I was trying… But I couldn't… I couldn't be what wanted me to be! I couldn't do what you were asking me to, so now I'm taking a coward's ways out…" Naruto's voice caught in his throat "But I'm willing to take it if that means none of you will be suffering because of me!"

"You selfish bastard!" Kiba yelled, earning no reaction from the orange ninja. Naruto looked at him with stoic expression that none of them knew he was capable of and said "You'll understand soon enough, Kiba"

The other clone wasn't that calm, though. Everyone's attention was focused on the first, calmer one so no one really noticed when one of two others launched himself at Kiba.

"Why don't you trade places with me, dog breath?! Selfish reasons or not, I'm curious as to how you would fare were you to walk a mile in my shoes!"

"Stop it! Boss will be angry when he finds out…!" The clone that Sakura was holding on to yelled. The first clone was watching the scene with indifference.

"Shut up! I don't care! For once he did himself a favor and left! Does it matter what I say now? He's not here!"

"Aren't you going to do anything?" one clone asked the other.

"Nah. He needs it" he said as if he was silently agreeing with all the screaming his brother was doing. He really did not care, but he knew that side of Naruto had to go out someday and it was the high time for people here to know that Naruto was more than a clumsy idiot they knew. That side of him that was currently at display wasn't pretty and it will hurt all of Naruto's precious people like hell to know that it even existed. Not that any of the jonin instructors seemed surprised, as each of them was giving the kid a sad look. The look on the younger ninja faces was one of total shock.

"Dobe, what is this bubbling all about?" Sasuke turned to the stoic clone. Naruto smiled apologetically and rubbed the back of his head.

"I'm sure granny will be more than willing to tell you all about it when we're gone"

"…DON'T TALK ABOUT THINGS YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND…"

"What do you mean?"

"…YOU'RE ALL LIKE THAT, AREN'T YOU?"

"I really don't want to talk about it"

"… I'VE HAD IT WITH THIS PLAY PRETEND JUST BECAUSE IT IS SO CONVIENIENT…"

"I've had it with you and all this damn secrecy, dobe! Can someone, anyone explain what the hell is going on here?!"

"Naruto…" Kakashi said in a stern voice. Naruto knew well enough what the sensei was implying. Before he had a chance to reply, the raging clone turned to Kakashi.

"I'M NOT GOING THROUGH THAT! I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU SAID! I DON'T WANT TO GO THROUGH THAT AGAIN! IF YOU HAVE TO TELL THEM, SO DO IT! BUT NOT BEFORE WE'RE GONE AND DON'T YOU DARE MAKE ME TELL THEM"

"Naruto, they'd understand. You're not alone anymore. It's not really a big deal…" Kakashi said with a calming voice.

Three seconds of silence.

"Kakashi…" Tsunade sighed in disbelief "_How could you possibly be that stupid?"_

Then

"JUST LIKE THE VILLAGERS WERE SUPPOSED TO UNDERSTAND?! DO YOU THINK IT'S FUN SEEING NOTHING BUT DISGUST AND HATRED WHEN I'M AROUND?! AND YOU SAY IT'S NOT A BIG DEAL! ALL THOSE ASSASINATION ATTEMPTS WERE NOT A BIG DEAL! NO, OF COURSE, WHEN A GUY PUTS A KNIFE TO YOUR THROAT HE FUCKING WANTS TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH YOU…"

"Too far. You went too far" the clone that previously held Sakura growled out. The angry clone dispersed as he punched him in the guts. Hard. The atmosphere was so thick that it could be cut with a knife. The silence was long and no one really wanted to be the first to break it.

_"So much anger… Naruto, how much are you suffering, really?"_ she thought sadly. She fought the urge to cry. She couldn't. Not in front of so many people. Hokage was supposed to be stronger than that.

"Are you happy?" the clone snapped at the other. Both of them avoided looking anywhere else than each other. They couldn't stand their pitying looks and shocked faces "He's going to kill us"

"Don't be stupid. He'd have to kill himself and he's not suicidal" the other replied with a "I really don't care" tone.

"I'm sorry, everyone. You weren't supposed to know" Naruto said apologetically.

"Assassination attempts? Naruto... you never told me!" Iruka was visibly distressed "When? How?"

"When I was really small. I'll spare you the details. It doesn't matter. There wasn't any since I graduated from the academy" Naruto shrugged "Well, I hadn't originally planned on saying goodbye, but I'm happy that I got to say one, after all. So…" he turned to the other clone and said "Deal with it" before facing everyone else. Expecting some last big words, they gave him their whole undivided attention.

"Bye!" he yelled out and pinched himself. Then disappeared into thin air. Sasuke stared at the place the clone had been at moments ago in disbelieve.

"Dobe! You're going to disappear without a word again?"

"That was the original plan" the clone shrugged and followed his companion.

Everyone just stared, not really able to believe that what they have just seen had really happened.

"Explain" Sasuke demanded, looking first at his teacher, then at Tsunade. Sakura sobbed silently in the corner. Kakashi looked devastated.

Tsunade took a long breath.

"It happened thirteen years ago…"

And she told them everything. She told them exactly what happened that October night, leaving out only the small fact of who exactly Naruto's parents were.

Some of them left the tower that day thinking they were better off not knowing. Some still couldn't quite believe what had happened and all the incredible things they've found out about their comrade. Some left, mad at their orange ninja.

None of them got any sleep that night.

Naruto stopped abruptly as the memories of his clones came at him in a flood. The emotions that flared within one of them too much for him to handle.

"You okay?" Gaara asked with what could pass on as concern.

"Yeah, I'm alright" Naruto said.

"Your clones?" Yugito asked. Naruto nodded.

"One of them got really pissed. Shit, those looks on their faces…"

"Want to talk about it?"

"Not really"

"Good, because we need to go on" Uta said, blunt as ever. They were only just past the border of Fire Country and they had yet to find a place to stay for the night. All of them were really exhausted.

"Are you sure you okay?" Gaara asked once again.

"Yeah. I just felt a great urge to stab myself with a knife"

OH TEH DRAMA!

Until next time!

By the way... Do you think anyone out there would be interested in a fanfiction with Kurama turned into little child fox? Share your opinion, because honestly, I have that kind of idea...


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